The European Union Air Safety Agency (EASA) has suspended the authorization for the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to work within the bloc for 6 months, the airline's spokesman said on Tuesday.
The move follows the grounding of 262 pilots whose licenses Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan termed “dubious”.
“EASA has temporarily suspended PIA's authorization to work to the EU member states for 6 months effective Dominion Day, 2020, with the proper to appeal against this decision,” a PIA statement said.
It added that PIA would discontinue all its flights to European countries temporarily.
All passengers booked on its flights to European destinations will have the choice to either extend their bookings to a later date or get a full refund.
PIA said it might temporarily discontinue all its flights to Europe but later said it received a two-day relief with landing permission in Europe and Britain granted from Dominion Day to July 3. PIA is additionally allowed over flying until further order, the ensign carrier's spokesman said.
Confirming the move in an emailed statement, the EASA mentioned a recent investigation by Pakistan which it said showed a “large share” of pilot licenses to be invalid.
"PIA is in touch with EASA to allay their concerns and to require necessary corrective measures alongside filing the appeal against the choice," the handout said.
The ensign carrier "sincerely hopes that with reparative and swift actions taken by the govt of Pakistan and PIA management, earliest possible lifting of this suspension are often expected", it added.
Pilots question list of 'dubious' pilots
Airline pilots and their union have raised questions on the govt list of pilots with alleged dubious credentials, saying it's filled with discrepancies.
The minister said the pilots included 141 from PIA, nine from Air Blue, 10 from Serene Air, and 17 from Shaheen Airlines.
The PIA said the list showed discrepancies once the airlines received it. Thirty-six of the 141 had either retired or removed, it said. Air Blue said seven of the pilots on the list not worked for the airline.
The pilots and their union have rejected the list and demanded a judicial investigation.
“We do not have full details of the discrepancies with us,” said Abdul Sattar Khokhar, a spokesman at the Aviation Division. “The issue is being sorted call at a consultation with airlines and civil aviation authorities.”
The Pakistan Airlines Pilots Association (Palpa) has also raised doubts about the list.
“It contains names of highly educated and qualified pilots who have passed all the tests,” its president, Chaudhry Salman, told Reuters. “We need a fair and impartial resolution to the present matter.”
The action on the “dubious” licenses was prompted by the preliminary report on the PIA May 22 air crash in Karachi that killed 97 people. It found the plane's pilots did not follow standard procedures and disregarded alarms.
Aviation Minister Khan's announcement last week of the grounding of 262 airline pilots suspected of dodging their exams had caused global concern.
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